81 



Summit of Mt. Warren in the Sierras, Congdon. This is intermediate 

 between the other montaniis forms and tegetarius but still has the 

 hairs not fixed by the base. 



Astragalus montanus var. tegetarius (Watson Dot. King 76 (1871) 

 as species). A. Iventroiihyta var tegetarius Jones. A. aculeatus Nelson 

 A. tegetari.is car. implexus Canby. This is the high alpine form 

 with filiform matted prostrate stems, very short leaves and leaflets 

 rather green, mostly flat and linear-oblong and abruptly aculeate. 

 Stipules connate, hyaline, often needle-tiiped, flowers minute to, 7 mm. 

 long, normally purple but often white, either a few on a manifest 

 short peduncle or single and mostly sessile. Pods from 3 to 8 mm. 

 long, from oval, or half-oval, to ovate, little oblique, apiculate, much 

 or little flattened laterally, smoothish when mature. Pubescence 

 attached by the base. The only constant character is the pubescence 

 attachment, in all other respects it shades into A. montanus, while 

 the broader leaved forms of it have the hairs attached tlose to the 

 end. Common in the high mountaii:!s from Colorado to the Sierras 

 pnd northward to Montana and the moantains of eastern . Oregon, 

 alpine and subalpine. , 



17. Astragalus humistratus Gray PI. Wright 2 43 (1853). Tium 

 Rydberg. 'A. albulus Wooton & Stanley. Leaves except the lowest, 

 almost sessile, short with rather many pairs of leaflets, mostly close- 

 set. Stipules united almost to very tip and large. The species' is 

 very variable. The type character is given below. Stems intric- 

 ately branched. only close to the stout tap root, then straggling over the 

 ground vine-like for 1-2 feet. Leaflets contignous less pubescent above, 

 linear-oblong, fully 1 cm. long, acute, hoary. Bracts large, about as 

 long as calyx, subulate-lanceolate. Peduncles longer than the leaves 

 and with short-racemose pods which are narrowly oblong, somewhat 

 falcate, 1.5-2 cm. long, almost smooth to pubescent, several seeded 

 rigid, silicate dorsally and with raised ventral suture. Flowers 

 rather many, thick, inclined to be subcapitate, lead-purple to dirty- 

 white. Banner water-lined, obcordate, with sides reflexed bplow, 

 the groove deeply fan-shaped below and shallowing above making the 

 banner seem hooded from behind. Wings nearly acute, sinuate to 

 notched nn the lower side, arched to about 20 degrees, oblanceolate 

 to obovate, 3 pim. wide, wider than the keel, the right hand one hooked 

 over the end of keel and 1 mm. longer than keel, about 4 mm. long, 

 light-colored. Keel dark-tipped, the erect part about as long as base 

 and produced and rather acute, 3 mm. long. Calyx obcompressed 

 toward tip, campanulate, about 3 mm. long, with rounded sinuses, 

 often 2-bracted at base, from hoary when young to smooth when old, 

 often wrinkled; teeth subulate and about as long as tube. Leaves 

 kss pubescent above, often silvery. From the borders of Texas to 

 the Sierra Madres of Chihuahua and the Colorado river and north- 

 ward to I,.as Vegas. New Mexico, to the Navajo Basin, Panguitch and 

 Cedar City Utah and Pioche Nevada on gravelly mesas among pines 

 and junipers, Lower and Middle Temperate life zones. The species 

 seems to vary only in the San Francisco Mt. region, where it is 

 common. A. Arizonicus has much the same appearance as this. 



Astragalus humistratus var. Sonorae (Gray) Jon^s Cont. 10 58 

 '190?). A. Ponorae Gray PI. Wr. 2 44 (1833). Petioles ev'dent. 

 Tjeaflets linear, rather distant, over 1 cm. long, acute, hoary. Pedun- 

 cles not longer than leaves. Pods lunate hardly 1 cm. long, 

 miich incurved, about 5 mm. high from suture to sutur^. not s il- 

 r"te. much ebcomnress^d below. Plants less elongated. Stems long- 

 persistent. This is a common form in Arizona to Cedar City Utah. 



Astr^g^lus humistratus var. Hosacki?e (Greene) .Tones Cont. 10 

 58 (1902) ~ A. Hosa<-kia^ Oreen Bull. C-i1. Acad. 3 157 (1885). Whole 

 riant sparingly pub?scent. Leaflets smooth above, elliptical, hardly 1 



